Harry Potter and the Nature of Time
by jeveuxlire
Summary: Harry Potter has learned a lot through his experiences. Now he has a chance to correct the mistakes of the past and mold a new life. Will the past only repeat itself again? Will Harry be able to change someone's destiny?
1. Harry Potter and the Nature of Time

_Harry Potter and the Nature of Time:_

Harry woke up that morning to the sound of the slight rustlings of his roommates. Seamus and Ron were muttering sleepily about the lousy day they had yesterday and how today would probably be more of the same. Harry rubbed his eyes and pulled aside the curtains around his bed. The room was its usual chaos of clothes and books strewn about, Quidditch posters haphazardly hanging from the walls and candy wrappers strewn about. It was the familiar mess of always. Harry put his feet onto the floor and shivered from the cool feel of it between his toes. He yawned and muttered greetings to Ron and Seamus before going over to his trunk to pull out his school robes. He stood briefly in front of the mirror and half heartedly tried to tame the shock of black hair that stood up in all directions around his head. Giving up quickly, he merely ran his fingers through his hair, grabbed his books and made his way down to the common room with Ron and Seamus.

Once in the common room, they met Hermione, who had been up early studying for a possible quiz in History of Magic, and Ginny, who had only just emerged from her dormitory. After muttering more groggy early morning greetings they all made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

After sitting down and having some pumpkin juice and toast, Harry began to awaken to the rest of the world. He looked around and smiled at the familiarity of it all. It was so comfortably predictable. Dumbledore was at the Head Table with the other professors. Draco was muttering to his cronies about some way new way to make Harry's life miserable. Ron was scarfing down food as if he hadn't eaten in weeks while Hermione was nibbling on a bit of toast as she leafed through her Arithmancy text. At the next table over, Harry could see Luna staring at him rather dreamily over her latest upside down edition of the _Quibbler_. Above him, the owls were swooping in with their usual early morning mail.

It was all so comfortable, so familiar, and so homelike. His life would be drastically different after graduating from Hogwarts. He turned his thoughts to the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw that weekend in order to keep his mind off the unpleasant idea of leaving the only home he had ever known.

"Harry, let's go or we will be late for Divination!" said Ron.

Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed one last slice of toast for the trip up to the Divination tower. This was one aspect of Hogwart's that he would most definitely not be missing. Together the two boys trudged up to the stuffy room and sat down in the back of the class. Ron was chattering animatedly about the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw but Harry was only half listening. He did his best to at least nod and agree occasionally with what he thought Ron was saying, but he felt as if he were walking through a slight haze and the warm fire and muggy scent that pervaded the room did not help him to remain alert.

"Good morning class!" said Professor Trelawney. "Today we will be discussing something slightly different. Now, you all understand that the art of divination is the gift of understanding what is to come. But what few people know is that to understand the future we must know the past. History has a way of repeating itself. The ancient muggle civilization of the Maya believed that time was cyclical. They believed that the world was created and destroyed several times over. By communicating with and understanding the past worlds, along with an advanced study of the celestial bodies, the Maya came up with a cyclical calendar that was extremely accurate. Today we will be studying that very calendar to see if we can make any connections between the past we know of and the future which remains clouded. If you would please turn to page 394 in your…"

The other students in the room groaned collectively, but Harry was just happy that Trelawney wasn't predicting his imminent death by some new method. Harry opened his book but the words swam before his eyes. He closed them only for a moment and felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep. He could hear a voice calling to him.

"Harry Potter," said the voice. "Harry Potter the time has come for you to understand the future."

"What? Who's there?" asked Harry. He felt himself being sucked into a different place. It was different but it looked so familiar. He found himself standing in Professor Dumbledore's office behind the large desk. The paintings on the wall were the same, some were snoozing, others were muttering to themselves. The books on the shelves looked as they had before Harry had lost his temper and gone on a rampage through the office. Everything looked as it always did, but something felt very different.

"Professor Dumbledore?" he asked tentatively. No answer. He tried again; still no answer. Someone was sitting in Professor Dumbledore's large chair. Harry moved closer to the desk.

"Err… excuse me, sir?" Harry said nervously.

The figure in the chair looked up but did not acknowledge Harry's presence. He seemed to be deep in thought. As the man turned his head toward him, Harry gasped. There was a long thin scar that ran from above the left eye to the cheek below it. The scar had healed long ago and gave the man a rugged look, but his green eyes still held deep gentleness. As the man turned his full face to where Harry was standing, Harry was so startled that he took a few steps back and almost tripped over a pile of books near one of the shelves. The unruly black hair on the man's head had parted slightly revealing a very familiar jagged scar above his right eye. Harry reached up and touched the identical scar on his own forehead and understood that he was seeing himself in the future.

After the initial shock, Harry moved nervously back to the desk and waved his hand in front of the face of his future self. No reaction. Perhaps he was only meant to observe. Meddling with time is a serious thing, as he and Hermione had learned in his third year trying to save Buckbeak and Sirius. But how was he supposed to leave this place he wondered? Perhaps it was more like a pensieve, where one observes without interacting and is then removed from the memory.

Harry was startled from his musings when the door creaked open. "Professor Potter, I found him," said a short squat woman in professors' robes.

"Ah yes, thank you, Nerissa. Please have him come in. And could you have one of the house elves bring tea?"

"Yes, of course." She turned and walked back down the steps.

"Thank you Nerissa."

A moment later a young, thin, brown haired boy in Gryffindor robes appeared in the doorway. "Please, come in Daniel."

Harry smiled as the boy shuffled his way into the office, staring at all the instruments and the paintings as they muttered and pointed at him. The boy made his way over to one of the large cushy chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk and sat down. He looked very small and intimidated in the large chair that nearly engulfed him; his feet barely touched the rug under his chair. He seemed so small; he must be a first year, thought Harry. Harry was wondering if he had looked so small in his first year when a small framed photograph on the headmaster's desk caught his attention. The photo was one of Ron, Hermione and himself on the last day of term of his first year. It sat beside his favourite photo of his parents. Perhaps he had looked that small his first year.

Harry looked at his future self; he was shuffling some papers on his desk and had not yet even bothered to look over his glasses at the boy sitting in front of him. Harry thought this was quite rude of him, not to even acknowledge the boy. Finally, after the boy began to fidget, Headmaster Harry folded his fingers and stared over his glasses at the boy.

"Daniel, do you know why you have been called here to see me?" said Harry seriously.

"No, sir, I haven't done anything. I was merely trying to get my friend's cat back, she was terribly upset. Maxwell is so mean to Emma because she's muggle born and he turned her cat purple. Emma was so upset, and so Jack and I decided to go and find him; her cat that is, sir."

"No, Daniel, that's not why I called you here to talk to me. You are new to the magical world, is that not right?" The boy nodded and Harry continued, "What do you know of Baldorian?" he asked, looking at the boy closely.

"Only that everyone says he is the most evil wizard since Voldemort. Others say he is worse, all I know is that my mother is terrified whenever someone mentions him."

"Has she told you why she has such fears?"

"No, sir, I suppose it is simply because he is out to get revenge on muggle-borns," said Daniel as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"I see. Well, I suppose that will be all, enjoy your term Daniel," said Headmaster Harry.

"Thank you sir," said Daniel as he stood up to leave.

"Oh, and Daniel?"

"Yes Headmaster?"

"Stay away from Maxwell. He is only out to make trouble. Remember, it is our choices that make us who we are," said Harry with a twinkle in his eye and a slight smile playing upon his lips. "I suppose we will be seeing more of each other from now on. If there is anything you need, please feel free to come to me."

Daniel smiled weakly and nodded. "Goodnight, sir," he said and turned towards the door.

Harry was still standing beside the bookshelf he had nearly tripped on, and Headmaster Harry was still sitting at his desk with a serious look on his face. Just then, a crack was heard and an old house elf popped into view.

"Dobby! You didn't have to come. You should have sent one of the younger house elves," said the Headmaster. Harry was surprised to see that Dobby was still around and working contentedly in the castle.

"It is no trouble for Dobby, Headmaster Potter. Dobby is pleased to bring Headmaster Potter his tea, sir."

"Dobby, how many times do I have to tell you? You are an old friend, please, call me Harry!" said Harry with an exasperated smile.

"Yes, of course, Headmaster Potter. Does the Headmaster need anything else with his tea?"

"No thank you Dobby. But I would greatly appreciate it if you went and got some rest Dobby."

"Headmaster Potter is too good to Dobby sir!" squeaked the little house elf as he bowed until his nose nearly touched the floor. Then, with a loud crack he was gone almost as suddenly as he had appeared.

After Dobby had gone, Harry turned his attention to his tea and treacle tart. He was muttering something about missing dinner again and it being a long term. After finishing his second treacle tart he looked up at one of the paintings.

"Ah! Albus just the man I was wanting to talk to!" said the Headmaster. Young Harry was surprised and turned to look in the same direction that his future self was looking in. There on the wall, was a large painting of Albus Dumbledore.

"Yes Harry. I'm sorry I seem to have lost one of my socks in a painting down at the Ministry of Magic and the Minister wanted me to stay and chat a bit."

"I wanted to speak to you about Daniel Waikely," said Harry from his desk.

"Ah yes the young first year. He reminds me a lot of someone I once knew," said the old Headmaster with that familiar twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes, well Albus that's what I wanted to speak to you about. I suppose you were listening in the day that Parvati came to tell me of the prophecy she made."

"Yes, I must admit that I was not dozing."

"Well, what do you make of it? Do you think it is possible? He is just a boy."

"Just a boy who bears a striking similarity to someone else who was once just a boy," said Albus' painting. Albus looked down at the look on Harry's face. "That is what you are afraid of is it not? That boy will suffer the same things you had to suffer?" he asked gently.

"Yes, I do not want him to suffer as I did. It was not the life of a child," Harry said bitterly.

"If it is his fate, there is nothing neither you nor I can do to change that, Harry. All you can do is help him as much as you can. No one knows better what he is facing than you Harry."

"Yes, you're right Albus. I only hope that he understands. I want to be completely honest with him; however, his mother sees things a bit differently."

"History has a funny way of repeating itself. Things will work out, but remember, our choices…"

"…make us who we are," said Harry with a smile. "Thank you Albus."

"Of course, Harry, anytime," said Albus with a smile and a twinkle.

Headmaster Harry turned his attention back to his desk and began shuffling through more papers. Harry felt odd after witnessing the scene. In some ways, he felt a surge of hope; he would live to become Headmaster of Hogwarts. However, another wizard would rise up and become as evil as Voldemort. He suddenly felt overwhelmed by the futility of it all.

Suddenly he began to hear a voice urgently calling to him once again. "Harry! Harry! Wake up! Trelawney is asking you a question!" said Ron's voice near his ear.

Harry jerked his head up.

"As I was saying Mr. Potter, who came up with the concept of cyclical time?" asked Professor Trelawney over her large glasses.

"The Maya, Professor," mumbled Harry.

"Yes, that's correct. Now class, as I was saying…" said Trelawney surprised that Harry knew the answer in spite of the fact that he was sleeping.

"How long was I asleep?" asked Harry.

Ron looked at him inquisitively. "What do you mean? You had barely closed your eyes. Are you alright mate?"

"Yes, Ron I'm fine. Interesting stuff isn't it? The Maya," said Harry with a small smile.

"Yeah, as much fun as having Draco over for tea!" Ron said aghast.

Harry didn't notice. He was too busy wondering about the future.


	2. The Boywholived makes a mistake

_Chapter One:_

_The Boy-Who-Lived makes a mistake._

Harry sat at his desk behind a large pile of parchment that had been accumulating over the summer. He had never remembered Dumbledore's desk seeming so cluttered; it always seemed as if his old Headmaster always had his school issues under control. After reading and signing yet another parchment and noticing that he had barely made a dent in the pile after several hours of work, Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair. He looked at the pictures on his desk and smiled, remembering his years as a student at Hogwarts; he never imagined that he would become Headmaster of the school that had become his home.

A quiet knock broke his reverie. "Come in," he called.

The door creaked slightly on its old hinges as Bill Weasley walked in. "Afternoon, Harry."

"Bill! So good to see you!" said Harry as he stood up from his desk to hug Bill like the brother he had become. The entire Weasley family had taken him in and treated him like one of their own, and he was eternally grateful.

"I am not interrupting anything am I?" asked Bill, eyeing the piles of parchment that Harry could have sworn had grown since he had stood up from his desk.

Harry laughed, "Nothing that didn't need a little interrupting," he said ruefully. "Have a seat, would you like some tea? I have some scones as well. How's your family?" he asked as Bill sat in one of the cushy red chairs in front of the large desk.

"No thank you, Harry, dinner tonight at the homestead, remember? I have got to leave room for my mother's cooking! And the family is fine, thank you."

"Is it really Thursday already? This week has flown by, I have so much to do for Start of Term in two weeks. I am not sure how Albus and Minerva ever got it all done in time!" said Harry suddenly overwhelmed by the work that was accumulating in his head and on his desk.

"Well, that is what I came to talk to you about, in a way," said Bill hesitantly. "I was on watch at the Waikely home today, like you requested."

"Is everything alright? Are Abby and Daniel ok?" asked Harry worriedly.

"Yes, they are fine, but Abby refuses to show Daniel his letter, she keeps hiding them. We could send a deluge like they did with your situation, but I don't think that would be the best idea. Abby is very adamant about Daniel not coming to Hogwart's this year."

"I see."

The two men sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Bill finally broke the silence, "Harry you will have to go there, speak to her, and convince her. You are the only who she might listen to."

"She hasn't returned my letters, she refuses to see me, she broke all contact with the wizarding world. I don't know if it will do any good to go and speak to her."

"But Harry, the prophecy…"

"Prophecies! You come to speak to me about prophecies! Look what good it did me!" said Harry bitterly running his fingers over the long scar on his face.

"I am sorry Harry, I should not have mentioned it. Even so, this is the only son of your friend, the one you swore to protect, to care for as your own. And yet you sit around and watch while his mother denies him his abilities. He should be allowed to let them flourish and he should know what really happened to his father. I fear his mother is not well."

"Right, she has not been well since… since Jude was killed."

"Harry the boy does not play with other children his age, he doesn't go out of the house very much, she escorts him to school and they go to the market. But other than that, he doesn't leave. She never lets him out of her sight. It isn't healthy, Harry."

Harry sat back and thought through the information; he missed his friend Jude terribly. Had seven years really passed? Had it been that long already? He looked over the piles of parchment on his desk, and then looked at Bill's face. Taking out his wand, he tidied the parchments on the desk and stood up.

"I have to make a visit first," said Harry.

Bill nodded and the two friends shook hands. As Bill turned and made his way to the door, Harry called after him, "Tell your mother I might be late tonight."

Beneath a green tree, perched rather precariously on the edge of a green hill, stood Harry Potter, the Boy Who had once Lived, Headmaster of Hogwart's, a tired man. The burden of his responsibilities and his losses weighed heavily on his shoulders. As he stood on the quiet hill, by the grave of one of many friends he had buried along the way, the breeze blowing his robes and his ever wild hair, Harry Potter shed a single tear.

"I am so sorry Jude," he whispered, sinking to his knees. "I have failed you once again. I allowed the time to go by, I forgot my promise to you. Now it might be too late to save what was most precious to you. I am so sorry. I can not make up for lost time, but I will try to keep my promise in the future. You were a good friend, a good Auror, a good man. Daniel deserves to know that. I promise you I will help him grow into a good man, a man who is proud of who he is, who knows his past, and one who can face the future with his head held high. I am so sorry I let this go for so long. But I will do what I can to make their lives better."

Harry stood and stepped back. He had a big task ahead of him, a task he was not sure he was prepared to deal with. But this was not a choice, it was an obligation. He had let too much time go by, and he had only himself to blame. Sighing he flicked his wand absent-mindedly to remove the damp earth from the knees of his pants. He silently walked down the hill and was gone with a quiet pop.

Far away, on a quiet little lane, with humble homes, there was another pop. Harry Potter walked down Quarry Trail, thinking sadly about the last time he had been there. It had been nearly seven years ago. The houses looked more cheerful, especially number 8; flowers were blooming out of every bit of space that could yield a plant. The walkway was lined with pansies of every colour, the window boxes were overflowing with daisies and there were large rose bushes around the edge of the house. The house itself was small and white, with green shutters and a chimney with a wisp of smoke curling its way up into the sky. But in spite of the flowers, there was an air of sadness that pervaded the little cottage. The windows drooped like sad eyes and the flowers seemed to be a feeble attempt to disguise the sorrow.

There was a thin woman on her knees near one of the rose bushes. She was humming a sad little tune as she weeded and pruned the large bush. Harry walked up to the quaint little gate and not wanting to frighten her, cleared his throat quietly. The woman did not seem to hear him and kept on weeding. Harry tried again, clearing his throat much more forcefully the second time.

This time the small woman jumped and whirled around, clearly frightened. "Harry! Harry Potter! What are you doing here? You nearly frightened me to death! I have nothing to say to you!" she said hurriedly.

"Abby, I have only come to talk to you about Daniel."

"Daniel is fine, thanks for asking, you may leave now, your business here is done," she said bitterly.

"Look, Abby, I made a promise to Jude that I would take care of you and Daniel."

"The best thing you can do is stay out of our lives!" Abby's voice was becoming more tense with every word she said and the tears in her eyes were threatening to spill over.

"You call this a life for your son Abby? You don't let him come out and play with other children, you refuse to give him an education, to teach him things his father would have wanted him to know," said Harry, clenching his fists at his side.

"How dare you tell me how to raise my son?" she asked as she flung the small shovel she had been using to the ground.

"I am sorry, I should not have said that, but I am worried about him," Harry ended lamely. He cautiously took another step towards Abby.

"You, you are worried about him? Where have you been all these years then if you were so worried about him?" the pain in her face was evident. She took off her gardening gloves and began ringing them in her hands.

"I am sorry, I have failed! I failed Jude, I failed you, and worst of all I failed Daniel! But I only have one thing left to do, and that is to do my best for both of you and keep at least part of my promise to Jude." Harry was pleading with her at this point; in all honesty, but it was for his own conscience than anything else.

"The great Harry Potter admits he made a mistake? The Boy Who Lived can fail? Well, call the _Daily Prophet_ because this is news!"

"Yes! I made a mistake! I have failed!" said Harry throwing his hands up in the air, "Now please, help me to make it up to Jude!" He was close enough, so he took hold of her shoulders with his hands.

At first she refused to look in his direction, instead stared at the ground. Because of his height, Harry could see the tears running down her nose and falling silently to the ground. His heart ached for the pain he had caused this family.

"I miss him so much, Harry," she whispered as she finally collapsed against his shoulder, "tell me again what he said when you found him."

Harry squeezed his eyes shut as the tears ran from his eyes. He had tried so many times to put the memory in a pensieve, but it was a memory that was too strong to take completely from his mind. He pulled Abby closer and whispered, "By the time I found out it was an ambush it was too late, I found him in one of the back streets of Knockturn Alley. He was still alive, but so close to death. I held his head in my arms and he whispered something to me. I could barely hear him; I was trying to make a portkey to St. Mungo's. But I caught your name and I knew he understood that he wasn't going to make it. He looked into my eyes and said, "_Take care of Abby and Daniel. Tell them I love them and always will, and help Daniel grow up to be a good man. Tell them I am so sorry I couldn't be there for them.' _So I promised him I would do all that I could. Abby, there's something that I haven't told you about what happened next." Harry felt Abby pull away from him and look into his eyes searchingly. Her eyes begged him to continue.

"Jude pulled out his wand, and pressed it into my hand, and then he said _'Give this to Daniel when he is ready for Hogwarts'_." Harry pulled a long, thin wand out of his robes and held it in his palm. "Abby, Jude wanted Daniel to become a talented wizard. He wanted him to enjoy his abilities and learn to use them for good. He wanted Daniel to live a full life. It was his last gift to his son."

Abby's breath caught at the sight of the familiar wand. She reached out her hand and after some hesitation finally managed to touch the warm wood. It was too much for her, she pulled Harry close to her again, burying her head in his shoulder and wetting it with her tears.

"Alright, but I have a few conditions…"

Daniel had been sitting in his favourite chair reading his favourite book for what must have been the millionth time. He looked at the big clock by the door; it was nearly dinner time and his mother had not come in yet. She was usually very punctual, maybe she just got carried away in her gardening, but he worried about her nonetheless. He put down his book and softly padded across the thick carpet to the window in the small door.

His mother was out in the yard, but she was not alone. There was a man there too. There was something very familiar about the man, but Daniel could not figure out what it was. The two were arguing about something. His mother looked very upset, but just as Daniel had decided to go and defend her, the man took her in his arms and put her head against his shoulder. When they finally separated, there was a peace on his mother's face that he had never seen before. She looked like she did in the pictures that he wasn't supposed to have seen.

There were many secrets in his home, Daniel knew it. There was something his mother was keeping him from. Sometimes he wanted to be like other children and play after dark in the street on the hot summer nights catching fireflies and looking at the stars. But he loved his mother and she worried so much about him. She was so frail, he needed to take care of her. She needed him to make her happy.

Daniel had taken it as his personal mission in life to make her smile. Some days he could even make her laugh, but those were so few and far in between. Daniel clung to a childish memory of long ago when his mother was happy and laughed everyday and there was a man, his father who would throw him up in the air or onto his shoulders and they would all go for a walk and laugh the whole way. But the memory was very faded and was beginning to lose its colour and the laughter sounded more distant in his head every time he thought about it. He tried to only think about it on the days when his mother was especially sad and he couldn't even make himself smile.

Daniel wondered who the man in the yard was, where he came from, why he had come then and why his mother knew him so well but had never talked about him. But then, his mother never really talked about the past, and Daniel didn't bring it up much even though he wanted to know more about his father because he knew that it made his mother sad. He could tell when she was thinking about his father; her eyes would become very sad and she would look off into the distance as if expecting him to walk towards her. On those days, she didn't go to market, she didn't work in the garden and sometimes she forgot to cook. The whole house would groan with the sorrow. Those were the days that Daniel would dream about the old and faded memory of the man who was his father and the time when things were happier. Those were the days when he wondered if those days would ever return.

Author's note: Hope you are enjoying it so far. Don't fear the review button, it is your friend. The second chapter is called "Home Sweet Burrow" and will be up as soon as it gets back from the beta. Thanks for reading!


	3. Home Sweet Burrow

_Disclaimer: only in my wildest dreams to I own the Harry Potter world and its characters. _

_Chapter Two:_

_Home Sweet Burrow_

"I will send one more letter, let him find it and read it. That day I will come and talk to him and give him his father's wand and we will let him decide for himself whether or not he wishes to attend Hogwarts," said Harry.

"Oh that sounds like the best idea, darling," said Ginny as she rubbed her growing belly.

Harry had ended his afternoon by apparating to the Burrow. It was like going home. He had walked in and received one of the famous bone-crushing hugs from Mrs. Weasley, and a hearty handshake from Mr. Weasley. The smells wafting from the kitchen made him remember Bill's comment about going hungry to dinner. It had become tradition for the Weasley clan to have dinner together on Thursday nights. As the family grew, the table merely added to its length and accommodated more Weasleys.

Everyone made the effort to come. Bill and Fleur and their two children along with Charlie and his wife and son had arrived by Floo. Fred and George always made a point to lock up the store early and come with their wives. Ron and Hermione and their four children, and Harry and Ginny completed the happy clan. Nothing made Mrs. Weasley more happy than looking at the clock and seeing all the hands pointing to "home" and then to see them sitting around the table laughing and talking about the week.

Harry also enjoyed himself immensely. He not only got to see his best friends once a week, but he was finally part of a family; a family that cared about him and supported him. After the events that would have been his seventh year at Hogwarts Harry and Ginny had kept on seeing each other, but Harry did not want to marry her right away because she was working through an apprenticeship and he was training to be an Auror. Then he worked for several years as an Auror and she established herself in her profession. Just when Ginny was becoming impatient, the possibility to work at Hogwarts had come up. Harry worked for one year as the professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and they had married in the fall. The very next year, he had been approached by McGonagall about being Headmaster. The Wizengamot had debated it for several months, and so had he and Ginny. But he was glad with his decision, he enjoyed the work, and it was a perfect cover for his other responsibilities.

Ron and Hermione had wasted no time after finishing at Hogwarts. They were married within two months and their eldest had been born within a year after they were married. They were happy together, Hermione with her books and the children and later a job with the Ministry, and Ron with his job at the Ministry and with their friendly bickering.

They all enjoyed the evening and ended it with tea, treacle tart and entertainment from the twins. But then the children began to rub their eyes and yawn and deny they were in the least bit tired, and Harry mentioned that he wanted to get Ginny home to rest. In all honesty, he needed the rest as much as she did, and he wanted to get home to be alone with her and talk to her about the day.

They carefully apparated home and got ready for bed. On his way back from the bathroom to brush his teeth, Harry paused at the door of the nursery for the baby. He was going to be a father. He was amazed every time he thought about it, but he was terrified that he wouldn't be a good father.

When Ron and Hermione had Michael, Harry was awed by the relationship between Ron and his son. So now, with the prospect of having his own son, Harry was excited to begin the relationship. He wanted to teach his son how to fly a broom, how to play Quidditch, and give him lots of memories so that he could have the strongest Patronus in the class. In essence, Harry wanted to give his son everything he felt he had missed out on.

Harry took one last glimpse at the small crib in the corner and the stuffed animals on his old Hogwarts trunk. Hermione had thoughtfully bought the baby a dog, a wolf, and a stag in London. Ginny and Hermione had taken days to decide the decorations for the nursery and weeks to finish it. It was a happy Quidditch scene, complete with a snitch mobile. With one last sigh Harry padded quietly down the hallway to bed, and to his wife who was calling to him.

Daniel woke up the next morning with his stomach grumbling. He had been having a very strange dream. He had been at school and the bullies were poking fun at him, when a big strong man, whose face he could not see but who he was sure was his father, came along and sent them flying up to the roof of the school. Then the man took him by the hand and they went to buy ice cream. It was a happy dream, but Daniel could not figure out how the man had made those boys end up on the roof of the school.

He put on some clothes and made his way down the steep stairs to the kitchen. His mother was already there, humming and making breakfast. The eggs smelled delicious, and Daniel was getting really hungry. His mother seemed to be in a better mood than most days, and Daniel felt optimistic about the day.

"Here, Daniel, sit down and eat some breakfast, you grow more and more everyday. Soon we will have to go and get you some new clothes!" she said with more enthusiasm than Daniel had ever heard her put into one sentence.

"Thanks Mum! Did you sleep well last night?" he asked.

"Why yes I did, quite well in fact."

Daniel noticed that she kept staring out the window, as if waiting for something to happen. He looked at her puzzled and she tried to pretend that she was only looking at the curtains. "They are awfully dirty by now, don't you think, Daniel? I should wash those curtains."

"Hmmm," was all that he managed to say as his mouth was full of eggs and toast. He took another bite and looked up towards the window, in time to see an owl swooping in towards the window. He marvelled at how odd it was to see and owl in broad daylight.

Then the owl began to peck at the window, and his mother stood up and went to the window to open it. Daniel was shocked, he was beginning to wonder if maybe this was just the second part of the dream he had been having.

"Here Daniel, this is for you," said his mother, handing him an envelope that she had untied from the owl's leg. "Oh my, it's been so long, I don't think I have any owl treats," she said to the owl. "Here, how about a bit of toast?" she asked, handing the disgruntled owl a piece of dry toast. The owl took the toast in his mouth and flew off looking very miffed.

Daniel nearly choked on his eggs as he looked at the envelope his mother was handing him. It was addressed to:

_Mr. D. Waikely_

_Number 8 Quarry Trail_

_Grinshill, Shropshire_

"Well," said his mother, "aren't you going to open it?"

"Do you know what this is about?" he asked.

"Yes, just go ahead and open it!"

Something clicked in his head, "Does this have anything to do with the man in the yard yesterday?" he asked. As soon as he said it, his mother's look of shock made him wish he hadn't said it.

"Yes, but it has more to do with your father, me, and most importantly about you. So open it and find out!" she said, recovering.

Daniel slowly turned the fat envelope over; he could not remember the last time he had received anything in the mail. On the back of the rough parchment paper envelope was a gummy purple seal; much like ones that Daniel had read were used to write official letters from kings. A large, ornate letter "H" was pressed into the wax of the seal. He could not figure out why a king would be sending him post.

With trembling fingers, Daniel slowly opened the envelope, trying to savour the moment. Inside was another piece of parchment.

_Dear Mr. Waikely, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The term begins on September first. Please send your reply by owl no later than the 31st of July. Please note the enclosed sheet with all your necessary school supplies._

_Sincerely, _

_Harry James Potter_

_Headmaster _

Daniel stared at the envelope like it was a joke. His mother was smiling at him, but when she saw his expression, her face fell.

"I am so sorry Daniel, to spring this on you in this way; it really isn't fair at all. Your father would be so proud of you right now," she said.

"I don't understand, Mum."

"Daniel, love, your father was a wizard, I am a witch, and you are a young wizard. You have been chosen to go to this school so that you can learn how to use your abilities."

Daniel was only able to stare at her silently. The people in town always whispered about his mother when they went to market, they said she was crazy. What if they were right? What if his mother was really ill?

"Daniel, you don't believe me now, but that man that you saw in the yard the other day, he is coming here, and he wants to talk to you. He wants to tell you about your father. I am sorry, I just can't talk to you about that, it is too hard for me. He is an old friend of your father's and the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Daniel was finding it hard to swallow now. A friend of his father's, he was finally going to know more about his father. It was all too much to take in.

"Why don't you go upstairs and get ready, Harry should be here within the hour," said his mother lovingly.

Daniel obeyed, but he was almost sure that the man would never come, that his mother was really not well, that she would not be able to take care of him, that people would whisper about her. What if he was separated from her? Where would he go? Who would he live with? And the strange letter, it made no sense. He laid it carefully on his desk and sat on his bed to look at it.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but his mother interrupted his thoughts, "Daniel, please come down, Professor Potter is here."

"Coming, Mum!" he managed. The knot in his throat was too much for him to swallow.

He slowly made his way downstairs, filled with mixed emotions. He was scared that his mother was not thinking clearly. He was curious about his father and angry because no one had told him anything about him before. But his curiosity got the best of him and he made his way down the stairs to find out what this was really all about.

_Author's Note: Sorry about the super duper long wait, it was a combination of quite a few things, technical difficulties, a change in betas, thanks to my old one, and best of luck and an extra special thanks to the new one who is helping me take on this project. Please, as always, leave a review, the review button doesn't bite. The next chapter is called "Pieces to the Puzzle" so you guys will find out a lot more back story on the characters. Hope you've enjoyed it so far, in the mean time, happy reading! _


	4. Pieces to the Puzzle

_Chapter Three_:

_Pieces to the Puzzle_

Standing in the doorway of the cottage was a tall, thin man. The dimness of the cottage and the brightness of day outside made it hard for Daniel to make out the man's facial features. The man stepped into the cottage and the light from one of the windows streamed in and shone on the man's face. Daniel gasped.

The man was wearing long flowing black and burgundy robes, his black hair seemed to have been blown about by some great wind, and his round glasses seemed slightly askew, as if that was how the man liked to wear them. But Daniel's eyes were caught the most by the two scars on the man's face. The most notable one, a long thin gash that ran from the top of the man's left eye down slightly diagonally onto his cheek. The other one, small and less noticeable was over his right eye. It was the shape that was so intriguing; the small scar was shaped like a lightning bolt.

"Good morning, Daniel," said the man. "I suppose you read your letter."

"Yes, sir," Daniel managed to mumble.

"Well, that is what I am here to talk to you about."

A long silence ensued, neither Harry nor Daniel moved.

"Why don't you two sit down and chat? I have to go and clean up the breakfast dishes," said his mum with fake enthusiasm.

The two looked awkwardly at each other for another moment and then sat down uncomfortably. Daniel sat and waited, not sure what to say, and Harry sat and wondered where to begin.

"My name is Professor Potter, but you can call me Harry until you start at school. That is, if you want to start at Hogwarts," he ended lamely.

Daniel said nothing, he wasn't even sure he knew what Hogwarts was yet.

Harry cleared his throat and tried again, "I was a good friend of your father's a long time ago, when you were just a little boy. Your father and I worked together."

Daniel had never heard what his father did for a living.

"How much has your mother told you about your father?" asked Harry.

"I know his name was Jude, he used to take us for walks and he could make my mother laugh," Daniel said before he realized what he had said. He couldn't look at Harry; he was too embarrassed, and instead looked down at the floor.

"I see. Have you ever seen pictures of your father?" Harry asked gently.

Daniel shook his head and then shyly lifted his head to look at the Harry's face. This time he was not so surprised by the scars but instead by the deep intensity of his green eyes.

"I brought some with me if you would like to see them."

Daniel nodded cautiously.

"Why don't you sit here on the couch and I will tell you who else is in the pictures," said Harry gesturing to the seat next to him.

Daniel stood up and moved to the couch, but he felt stiff, he was still not sure what to think about this man or his ideas or his intentions.

Harry pulled from a small pocket a leather-bound album that surely could not have fit in such a small space. He opened to the first page, a picture of Harry, Ginny, Jude and Abby. Abby had a big grin on her face and Jude was standing behind her with his arms around her big belly. "This," Harry explained, "is my wife, Ginny and I with your mum and dad, right before you were born. Your dad was so excited when he found out he was having a son."

Daniel was surprised because the pictures moved! He did not know what kind of trickery Harry was using to make them move, but he was glad to be able to see pictures of his father and his mother looking so happy.

Harry pointed to the next picture, "This is your father and I after a game of Quidditch with some friends."

Daniel stared at his father's face. He was smiling so widely. His short, brown hair was spiked up all over his head and his eyes were sparkling with excitement. Both were holding the ends of long brooms and Harry was holding up a struggling little ball with wings.

"Your father was an excellent Chaser. We used to play all the time," said Harry wistfully before turning the page.

The third picture was a picture of a large group of people. Daniel looked for a while before picking out his father in the middle of the second row.

"This picture was taken after we finished our auror training."

"What's an auror?" asked Daniel.

"An auror is like a muggle… er… non wizarding policeman."

"Oh," said Daniel, but he was just as confused as he was before he had asked.

"In the picture are Mad Eye Moody, Tonks, Seamus Finnigan, Robert Garvey, and your father and I with some of the other graduates from that year."

Harry was studying Daniel's face very closely, but couldn't read much from them. Daniel noticed and looked into Harry's eyes. There were so many feelings there, deep emotions, wistfulness, a bit of nostalgia, excitement, contentedness, and a deep undercurrent of pain like Daniel could see in his mother's. This man had been through something awful like his mother.

Harry cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his chair and flipped the page. There was a picture of Jude, Abby, and Daniel. Jude was holding Abby's hand and Daniel was on his shoulders. The first emotion that Daniel's face had betrayed so far was that of shock.

"I remember that, this whole time I thought I had just made it up in my mind," he whispered.

"No, that day really happened, Daniel," said Harry. "Your father was so heartbroken that he could not be with you as you grew older. I was there with your father… at the end. He only thought about you and your mother. He gave me something for you and told me to keep it for you until you were ready," Harry said taking the long thin wand out of the inner pocket of his robes. "He wanted you to have this and learn to use it for good, to become a man who could be proud of who he is."

Daniel stared at the thin stick. It hadn't been quite what he had been expecting. It was the stick Harry had shown his mother the other day, that had made he cry.

When his throat opened up, he asked, "What exactly is it?"

"It is a wand, Daniel. You are a wizard, just like your father and your mother. You are at the age when young wizards go to Hogwarts and learn to use their magic."

"But I can't do any magic," said Daniel warily.

"Well, a lot of times people don't even know they have magic inside them. That is why you have to go to school and learn how to control the magic that is all around you."

"You say my father was a wizard? If he had magic why didn't he use magic to save himself?" Daniel blurted before he could stop himself. He had always wondered about his father's death and if it had been preventable.

"Well Daniel, just like there are good people, there are also bad people. It is the same with magic. If you get sick, the doctors can help you, but they can't save everyone. There is evil magic out there Daniel, and that is what your father was fighting."

"At this school, is that what they teach you to do, to fight evil?" asked Daniel.

"Well, yes in part, but you also learn many other things: Arithmancy, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, Herbology, and Charms. Many things that will help you use, control and enjoy your magic."

Daniel had always enjoyed knowledge, books, and intricacies of how things worked. It was intriguing to think that there was a power inside of him that he had not known.

"You say my mother has magic too…" Daniel began somewhat hesitantly.

"Yes, she is a witch," said Harry reassuringly.

"Well, how come she never does anything magical?"

Harry's face fell. "Well, Daniel, you know your mother is very sad," said Harry slowly, Daniel nodded. "Well, sometimes things happen to us and we feel like we can't ever go on the way we were before, and so we change everything in an attempt to forget what has happened, to lessen the pain. After your father died, Daniel, your mother didn't want to use her magic anymore. She felt it was because of magic that your father died, she didn't want to be reminded of his death everyday, so she left the wizarding world and came here with you. She was doing what she thought was best for both of you."

Daniel sat there thinking about all the things Harry had said and absorbing the new found information about his father. It seemed like too much for one day.

Harry looked at the young boy's face and remembered his own introduction to the wizarding world. It had been a lot to absorb, but Harry had been eager to leave his situation, Daniel had his mother, he had a school, a nice home, the decision was different. He didn't want to pressure Daniel into making any rash decisions.

"Here, Daniel, take your father's wand, think about it over night. I will come by tomorrow and we can talk some more. If you need me, I'm here for you, just let me know."

"Thank you, sir."


	5. Fastidious Flitby

_Chapter Four: Fastidious Flitby_

Harry left the small cottage. He walked past the flowers which were perfuming the air with their sweet scent. It floated along the warm summer breeze but did nothing to make him feel more cheerful. He walked to the gate and sighed as he opened the gate, he was so tired lately. He was getting old; he had to face it at some point. He could only hope that he had gotten through to Daniel.

Daniel's situation was so complicated, Harry had not been sure how to proceed. Abby didn't want anything to do with the magical world. He didn't want to turn Daniel against his mother, but he wanted Daniel to know about his father and fulfil his father's hopes and dreams for him.

Harry sighed again and looked up at the sky as he trudged towards a place to Apparate from. He finally found a secluded spot and Apparated to Hogsmeade. From there, he made his way towards Hogwarts. He could have Flooed, but he wanted the walk to clear his head. The slight incline up to the castle invigorated him.

Once inside the castle he came across the Bloody Baron muttering something about Peeves and his latest mischief. Unfortunately, after Dumbledore and McGonagall had left, Peeves listened to no one but the Bloody Baron. Harry was about to open his mouth and ask what is was this time, but reconsidered and made his way to his office.

No sooner had Harry sat down at his desk, there was an urgent, persistent knock at his door, only one person knocked like that. He sighed and said rather half heartedly, "Come in."

In walked Nerissa Flitby. Harry groaned inwardly. Nerissa had been the last person McGonagall had hired before she had left the position of Headmistress. She reminded Harry too much of Umbridge to even give her a chance to prove otherwise. Harry could almost feel the old scar on his hand begin to prickle whenever she was near. Harry had no evidence that she was not completing her duties and he had no reasonable grounds to dismiss her, but he watched her like a hawk and was looking forward to the day when he could fire her.

She was podgy but not fat, she reminded him somewhat of a large turkey. Her brown hair fanned out around her head in a bushy mat of fuzz that she teased into such a state. Her neck was terribly distracting, it wiggled and wobbled whenever she talked and her mouth always seemed full of something. She wore many rings on her podgy fingers and they all sparkled and clanged together when she clasped her hands. Her favourite colours were pink and brown and she made no qualms about putting them together. She always wore glasses on a chain around her neck, but Harry had never seen her actually use them, they merely dangled about her big chest on that chain of big pink beads. She had become Head of Slytherin House after Slughorn had left Hogwarts and Harry knew for a fact that the students all made fun of her and enjoyed competitions to see who was the best at imitating her. He found it rather amusing himself but would never let the children know this fact.

She made her way over to the cushy chair in front of his desk with mincing steps caused by the pink high heels that she insisted on wearing with everything. The shoes were at least two sizes too small and her podgy feet were bulging out of them. She plunked herself heavily into the chair as it groaned against the sudden weight. To any unknowing person, she looked harmless enough, until she opened her mouth. She couldn't say much of anything positive and she was very condescending in her manner. Her voice was a high-pitched nasal whine that grated Harry's nerves.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything," she said, completely ignoring the pile of papers on his desk "Now, Harry," she began while trying to cross her podgy legs, "Peeves has been out of line before but this is totally unacceptable."

Harry sighed and began shuffling papers to give her the hint that he indeed was very busy. "Nerissa, you know he listens to no one and he is impossible to get out of the castle," he said tiredly.

"Yes, but this time he has overstepped the bounds!"

"What has he done now?"

"He came into my quarters and turned everything orange! He threw dung bombs and released a cage full of Cornish pixies in my closet!"

"Nerissa, I am truly sorry," Harry managed to lie, "but there is nothing I can do about it. I will speak to the Baron and see what he can do, but that is all I can do."

"These things cannot continue when the students return! He has to be stopped; it is a bad influence on the children. How are they supposed to learn anything when he is gallivanting around doing whatever he pleases?" she asked in her high pitched voice.

"Generations of children, including myself, have studied in these very walls with that very poltergeist gallivanting and they have gone on to become very well balanced professional witches and wizards. I truly think you are overreacting."

"Well I never! This institution used to be run with decorum, with dignity, with pride and with tact! I will have to bring this situation to the attention of higher powers," she said in a huff as she tried to extract herself from the chair. After some heaving she managed to accomplish this and move towards the door.

By that time the impact of her words had worn off and Harry didn't feel threatened by the lump of a woman who had difficulty trying to extract herself from a chair. Many people did not agree with his appointment as Headmaster and Harry was used to threats to his position. But Nerissa Flitby did not intimidate him in the least. She was a weak woman and easily swayed by power. She held only empty threats. If she did whine to the Wizengamot they would listen out of obligation and then merely dismiss her claims.

Sighing, Harry looked at the time and made a mental note to stop in one more hour and go home to his beautiful wife. It was Friday and he was looking forward to spending some quality time with Ginny. With renewed vigour at the thought of going home, Harry dug into his work and soon made some progress in the piles of paperwork.

Meanwhile, on a small lane in a small cottage surrounded by flowers, a young boy lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. Harry had left hours ago but his words lingered. Daniel gently fingered his father's wand between his fingers. It was all too much to think about, magic, his father's profession, his father's death, his mother's decision. It all went around and around in his mind. He was trying to think about every angle and every possible outcome, it was what made him good at chess, but also what paralyzed him with indecision.

He spent most of the afternoon staring at the ceiling, and when his mother called him to dinner he went only to make her happy rather than out of hunger. They sat and ate quietly, each in their own thoughts. His mother finally broke the silence.

"So, what do you think?" she asked curiously.

Daniel stared at her blankly, "About what?"

"About what Harry told you about being a wizard."

"I almost don't believe it Mum, it seems too fantastic."

"Oh honey, it isn't. It really is true; it just wasn't something I was prepared to face every day. I am sorry I took you away from it. Your father would be ashamed of me."

"Mum, don't say that. Harry said that Dad was just trying to protect us and that so were you when you left."

"Really? Harry said that?" Abby asked her son.

"Yeah Mum, Harry thinks that you did what you thought was best for me, and I do too."

Abby lapsed into silence again. She finished her meal and sat there staring at her son across the table. "What do you think you will do?" she asked hesitantly, as if she did not really want to know the answer.

"I have not decided yet," Daniel answered truthfully. He had not yet made any decisions.

Dinner resumed in silence and the two sat together, drinking their tea. They sat for a long time each retreating further into their own thoughts. Outside the sun was setting and a day was ending. Daniel couldn't help but feel as if the life he had known was changed and gone forever. For those few moments, as they silently sat drinking their tea, Daniel felt that time slowed and that this moment would be one he would remember for the rest of his life.

That night, he could not sleep. He merely stared into the darkness and thought. Sleep finally conquered his tired mind and he drifted off into a restless slumber. It was riddled with bits and snatches of dreams and long lost memories. He tossed and turned most of the night and had strange dreams.  
In the morning he woke up tired but with his mind made up. He needed to stay at home and take care of his mother. No one else would do it and no one else could do it the way he did. Maybe she could teach him a few things at home. He would just have to tell Harry that he couldn't go to the school.

Daniel got out of bed and began gathering his clothes for the day. Maybe he would help his mother in the garden that day. He walked past his desk where he had placed his father's wand. It almost seemed to be calling to him to pick it up.

He stood there staring at it for a long while. He took a cautious step forward and slowly reached his right hand out towards the thin wand. He picked it up by the fatter end and held it in his hand. He remembered a magician had come to school once and pulled a rabbit out of a hat. The magician had waved the wand and then poof! The little rabbit had hopped out of the hat. His father's wand didn't look anything like the magician's wand had, and Daniel did not have a hat, but he flicked his wrist just to prove to himself that it didn't really work.

To his surprise, sparks flew out of the tip and filled the room with multi coloured sparkles that slowly drifted down to the ground and disappeared. Daniel stood there in shock. It had felt so natural, so normal, and comfortable. He wanted to try again. He took the wand again and flicked it harder. As he did so, the wand pointed at a book on his desk and a bolt of light shot out of the tip of the wand and made a hole in the middle of his book. Daniel dropped the wand and heard it clatter to the ground. He cautiously approached his book and was amazed to find a whole the size of a walnut that went clear through to the back of the book. He could put his finger through it.

Thoughts racing through his head, he rushed down the steep stairs to find his mother.

"Mum! Mum! I want to talk to Harry again! Mum? Mum!"


	6. Harry Potter & the Burgeoning Breakfast

_Chapter Five:_

_Harry Potter and the Burgeoning Breakfast_

Harry cautiously opened his eyes and groaned. It couldn't possibly be morning yet! He closed his eyes and turned over. The blankets were in just the right place, creating just the right temperature. Harry was perfectly comfortable; he didn't need to go anywhere. He moved to snuggle closer to his wife, the only thing that could make this situation even better. He reached over and felt nothing but empty space. Where had she disappeared to? Harry opened his eyes and squinted through the pale light coming through the curtains. Her robe was missing from its usual place and so were her slippers. This told his overly cautious Auror mentality that it was perfectly normal, she had only gotten up early.

Relieved, but no longer in much of a mood to sleep, Harry got up and padded down the hallway looking for her. He found her in the baby's room, sitting in the rocking chair and humming.

"Morning, Ginny," he said. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Well good morning sleepy head! I slept as much as I could with this belly of mine. He was not in the mood to sleep last night. I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, I slept like a rock."

"Good well, get it in now. Once the baby comes you will be getting up at all hours to change nappies," she said playfully.

"Oh is that how it's going to be Mrs Potter?"

"Yes, Mr Potter. But since you're up now, how about making me some of your famous eggs and bacon?"

Harry laughed and bent down to kiss his wife. "I will get right on that."

Harry made his way down to the kitchen remembering the reason why his eggs were famous. He had been used to cooking without magic, but in the first week that he and Ginny had been married he had decided to cook her some eggs and bacon for breakfast. He had decided it was about time he used magic to do it and had heated the pan, scrambled the eggs, and put them in the pan all magically. He whispered his incantation so as not to wake Ginny in the next room of their small flat and had somehow mispronounced it. The pan began making more eggs than he had originally put in and then it all turned to rubber. He had stood there aghast as the eggs started running over the side of the pan and over the stove, not sure what to do. By the time Ginny had found him, he was nearly knee deep in eggs in their small kitchen.

Once Ginny had dried the tears of laughter on her face she managed to help Harry clean up the mess and start the eggs the right way. However, she refused to let Harry forget the incident and had no qualms about telling all their relatives occasionally so that they didn't forget about famous Harry Potter's Burgeoning Breakfast.

The good that came out of the situation was Molly had taken the time to teach him how to make eggs and bacon with magic. Once he had some practice he was really quite good. So good in fact, that Ginny usually asked him to make breakfast on Saturdays and it had become a little family tradition.

Harry smiled at the memory and deftly started the breakfast, saying the spell correctly, and began setting the table. There was a soft peck at the window and Harry saw Hedwig and another owl waiting outside in the chilly morning air with the mail. He opened the window and let them both in out of the cold and bunged them both an owl treat.

Hedwig had the usual mail, letters from worried first year's mothers, the latest sale on down at Madam Malkin's, letters from the Ministry asking him to back their latest scheme, the _Daily Prophet _and the _Quibbler_. The other owl had one single letter with child like handwriting scrawled across the front:

_Harry Potter, Headmaster of Hog-warts School_

Curious, Harry opened the letter and started the coffee. Of course! It was from Daniel. Harry had not expected to hear from him until Monday at the earliest.

Dear Mr Potter,

I was thinking and I would like to go to your school, if it is what my father wanted me to do. I can not say I will be any good at magic, but I will try. Mum said you would help me get my school supplies.

Sincerely,

Daniel Waikely.

Harry smiled at the scrawled letter, Jude would have been proud. He folded it back up and put it in his pocket to return his attention back to the… eggs! He had forgotten about the eggs! He sighed deeply and muttering under his breath flicked his wand to banish the eggs and start over again.

Ginny sauntered into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Hmmm, smells like something burnt in here. Do you know anything about that darling?"

"Who me?" asked Harry innocently.

"Yes you!"

"Oh, I was reading the mail and yes, I burned the eggs, alright? Nothing a simple wave of the wand couldn't fix."

"I see. You just keep giving me stories to tell at Thursday night dinners, Harry. Really, you make my job too easy," she said grinning. "So, anything interesting in the mail?"

"It's just the usual stuff and a letter from Daniel. He decided to go to Hogwarts."

"Oh really? That's wonderful! His father would be proud, but how is his mother taking the news?"

"I will find out today, I have to go and take Daniel to Diagon Alley. I told Abby I would take him to buy his school supplies. I have to go today because I have too many last minute things to do at the school before the start of term next week. Would you like to go with us?"

"No thanks, it might take a while, and I am not in the mood to go shopping, besides, Hermione is coming by today."

"Oh right, Ron has the kids today," said Harry, grinning at the thought. Ron had said something not too sensitive a few years back and so Hermione had decided that once a week he would take the kids for a few hours so that she could get away. At first, Ron had been a fish out of water, but he usually took them out to the Quidditch pitch, and they played most of the day. Eventually he and Hermione had both begun to look forward to those days. Now that Michael was almost 15 he didn't want to do as many things with his younger brother and sister. But Brian and Delia were 10, and Molly was 6 and still enjoyed their days with their Dad.

Harry scribbled a note to Abby and sent Hedwig back with the note. If he was to meet Daniel by 11:30 he needed to clean up breakfast, take a shower, get dressed and apparate over to their house.

Daniel could hardly eat his breakfast because of a combination of nerves, apprehension and excitement. He was dying of curiosity about where he was to find his school supplies. The list held many things he had either never heard of or had never seen in the local market. There were so many things Daniel wanted to ask his mother, but she was trying to contain her nervousness and was barely controlling herself. She seemed distant and anxious and she was even more fidgety than Daniel.

It seemed an eternity before 11:30 came, but when it did Daniel was waiting by the front door patiently. Daniel heard quite a commotion coming from the living room and found a coughing, sneezing, wheezing wizard covered in soot standing in a pile of dust on his mother's rug.

"Oh my!" said his mother worriedly "I am afraid it has been quite some time since we've used the Floo Network, Harry."

Harry stood there for a minute blinking at her. He was quite a sight to see, the only thing that kept Daniel from giggling was the shock of seeing a man who had just emerged from the fireplace standing in his living room. There was dust in Harry's hair that made it look grey rather than its usual jet black, his face was covered in smudges that hid both scars and his robes rather than black with a touch of red on the sleeves were grey with a touch more grey.

"Don't worry, Abby, nothing I can't fix. I would rather be a little dusty than splinched any day," said Harry after one last cough. He waved his wand in a circular motion and the dust simply disappeared. Daniel was amazed.

"Are we going through there?" asked Daniel timidly, pointing at the fireplace where the soot and ashes had only just settled.

"Well yes, that's why I thought I should try it out, to see if it was still working," said Harry.

Daniel looked at Harry and then looked at his mother. She was acting unfazed by the whole ordeal, but Daniel knew better. Once he left, she would be a basket case.

"Well, we'd best be off. What did you say that vault number was Abby?"

"657," she replied.

"Alright then, ready Daniel?" asked Harry looking at Daniel reassuringly.

Daniel's head screamed no, but his feet moved towards Harry.

"Here, Daniel, hold this small bit of powder and when you are ready throw it into the fire and say 'Diagon Alley' as loudly and clearly as you can. You don't want to end up somewhere else."

"But then what?" asked Daniel.

"Why then you step into the fire," said Harry. Seeing the look on Daniel's face he continued, "I was nervous the first time I used the Floo Network too. Would you rather watch me do it first and then you give it a try?"

Daniel nodded numbly and watched as Harry threw his handful of Floo Powder into the fire and clearly said 'Diagon Alley'. A large blaze of green fire shot up and Harry calmly stepped into it and disappeared.

"Go ahead now Daniel, your turn," his mother said.

Daniel looked at his mother, looked at the Floo powder in his hand and looked at the fireplace. With as much gusto as he could muster, Daniel tossed his powder into the fire and said 'Diagon Alley'. His voice sounded very distant and very small. With one small shuffle that was aided by his mother's little shove, he stepped into the now roaring fireplace.

Daniel shut his eyes tight and winced, but he felt himself whirling unpleasantly in someplace that was neither his destination nor his home. Suddenly, he tumbled out and felt two strong arms catch him.

"You have to be ready to stand up," said Harry. "Don't worry though, my first time I ended up somewhere completely different. You'll get used to it after a while."

Daniel nodded but wasn't sure he wanted to get used it. He brushed himself off and looked around. He couldn't believe his eyes. There was so much to take in. It was nothing like the local market his mother took him to.

Harry looked down into the young boy's face and saw his own first reaction reflected in Daniel's face. "Welcome to the wizarding world, Daniel."


	7. Encounters of the Most Disagreeable Kind

_Chapter six:_

_Encounters of the most disagreeable kind. _

"First stop: Gringott's Bank. Your mother said there is still some wizarding money left in your old vault. The bank is run by goblins, but don't stare, they don't appreciate it," said Harry.

Daniel followed Harry and did his best not to trip over his own feet while staring at the shops, the people, and the various magical displays in the windows. There were stores with clothes, stores with yummy looking treats, stores with shelves and shelves of dusty books, and stores where the walls were lined with vials and bottles of different coloured liquids.

"Here it is, Gringott's Bank," announced Harry as they entered a big important looking building.

"What vault?" asked a hooked nosed goblin perched behind a tall desk.

"654, please," said Harry.

"Right this way then," said the goblin gruffly.

Harry motioned for Daniel to follow the goblin and the walked towards a small door, when it opened, there was a small cart. The goblin scrambled in and Harry followed but Daniel hesitated.

"Come on, boy, we don't have all day!" said the goblin.

Daniel got in and sat down with one hand on the side of the car. It began to move with a groaning sound and soon picked up speed as it hurtled down a dark tunnel. Daniel was sure that the cart was going to crash. His knuckles turned white and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Suddenly the rocking stopped; he cautiously opened one eye to see they were stopped in front of a small door with many locks. The goblin hopped out of the cart muttering under his breath and took a small key out of his pocket. When inserted into the smallest lock all the other began unlocking themselves as well. One by one they opened and revealed a small pile of gold. Daniel's eyes nearly bugged out of his head at the sight. It seemed like a small fortune.

"Go ahead, Daniel, take some out, you are the only one who can," explained Harry.

Daniel stuck his hand in and grabbed a handful of gold and put it in his pocket. It weighed there happily and heavily. The entire trip back, Daniel was distracted from the swaying and creaking of the cart because of the slight clink of the gold in his pocket.

"I think we should go to Madam Malkin's first. They are having a sale, and that way we can get the boring stuff over with first. You will need a set of robes for school and we can also ask for your uniform."

They stepped into a small store in which there were several other children his age waiting to be measured for robes. The children and their mother's were all talking excitedly until the door's chime tinkled at their entrance. Heads swivelled towards the door and everyone stopped talking.

Harry stood there awkwardly for a moment and then said, "Er… good morning." He stepped up to the counter behind which was a small woman with long brown hair who was shuffling some papers. "Hello, Demelza, this is Daniel, he needs a set of first year robes."

"Why, Harry Potter, so good to see you again!" squeaked the woman excitedly. At the mention of the name the other customers began to whisper to each other.

"That's the famous Harry Potter; he is your Headmaster…" Daniel heard one of the mothers whisper. Daniel was surprised that everyone knew Harry.

A short woman bustled out from behind the counter. "Harry Potter! How are you? So good to see you again!" she exclaimed. "Come this way, right over here yes!" she said ushering them into a small room.

"Here dear, stand right here. Ok, arms out, we will just get your measurements," she said as she waved her wand at a tape measure which began flying around Daniel and measuring him.

The woman turned her attention to Harry. "So, how have you been? How is Ginny?" she bubbled.

"We are both fine thank you, Madam Malkin, and the baby will be here soon," said Harry.

"Well, don't be a stranger around here!" she exclaimed. And, turning towards Daniel, she said, "I measured Harry for his first set of robes, too."

"You can pick up your robes in a few hours, they will be ready then."

"Thank you, Madam Malkin, we will come back then."

"Have a good day," said Daniel, finally starting to relax in this strange world.

Together, Harry and Daniel walked out past the women who were still whispering about Harry. Once they were in the street, Harry looked both ways and said, "How about if we go get your books next? We need to pick up a few ingredients and a cauldron for your potions class. We need to stop by Ollivander's and have him check out your wand, just to make sure everything is ok. Then if we have time we can go to a shop that I think you will enjoy. I know the owner's they are old friends of mine."

"It seems like everyone here knows you," said Daniel.

"Well, I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts, it gives me certain, er, notoriety," Harry explained hurriedly. "Here we are," he said as they walked into a shop called Flourish and Blott's, "you can find all your books right here. Just give the clerk your list and he will find your books for you."

Daniel walked over to the counter and cleared his throat. The old man hunched behind the counter slowly turned and shuffled over to Daniel.

"Hogwarts book list? First year I am guessing?" he asked.

Daniel nodded and handed him the list.

"I don't need the list!" the man said. With a flourish of his wand, a dozen books flew off the shelves and moved towards the counter. "Eight galleons for the lot," he mumbled with a satisfied smile on his face. Daniel pulled the money out of his pocket and put it on the counter.

He looked at the big pile of books. How was he going to carry them all? Just then Harry walked over and said, "Here let me help you with that." Then he gave the books a poke with his wand and the books shrunk.

"Now you can put them in your pocket and not have to carry them." Harry explained.

"Wow, magic is looking more and more useful all the time," said Daniel marvelling at his miniaturized books.

"It is very useful, but you can't come to depend completely on magic. You still need to develop you own skills and common sense. Being a good wizard is all about knowing your own limits and the limits of your magic," Harry said seriously. Daniel nodded and they went back to the bustling alley.

"Let's see," said Harry as they walked into the next store. "Essence of wormwood, dragon root powder, verbena leaf, wolfsbane, the juice of a young…"

Daniel was trying to pay attention to all the things that Harry was picking up for him, but the scents and the sights were overwhelming. A musky scent hung heavily in the air, and people were still staring at Harry.

They picked out all the potions ingredients, picked out what Harry told him was a decent cauldron and moved back towards the street.

"Where to next?" asked Daniel curiously. He was beginning to enjoy himself.

"Ollivander's the best wand maker around. I want him to tell us what is in your wand. Knowing what the core of you wand is helps to know to a certain extent what it will be best at. Since the wand was your father's I want him to look at it and make sure it wasn't damaged and that it suits you well."

"I see. How do you pick a wand?" asked Daniel.

"The wand chooses the wizard, Daniel," said Harry rather obtusely.

Daniel did not understand how a piece of wood could choose one wizard over another, but decided he would ask later. The walked into a small shop with what looked like small shoe boxes lined up from floor to ceiling in a haphazard sort of way. Some piles looked as if they might fall over.

A small man shuffled out from behind one such haphazard pile and mumbled a greeting. It took him a moment to look in Daniel and Harry's direction, but he did his eyes lit up with recognition and his old frame straightened.

"Harry Potter! What brings you here?" asked the old man. "And how is that wand? I told you it was destined for great things!"

"My wand works great, as always, Mr Ollivander. I brought Daniel, he is going to be starting at Hogwarts soon…"

"And he needs a wand, eh?"

"Well, not exactly, you see, he has a wand. It was his father's, but it hasn't been used in years and we need to be sure that it wasn't damaged."

"I see. Where is this wand?"

Daniel pulled the wand out of his pocket and with a reassuring nod from Harry, handed Mr Ollivander his father's wand. It felt strange to hand it over, even though he had only just laid eyes on it the day before, it felt like a part of him that he did not want to let go of.

Mr Ollivander held the wand up to the dim light and twirled it in his fingers. He then held it between the tips of his index fingers and looked at it lengthwise. He squinted and made little noises to himself while Daniel waited impatiently.

Finally, after much peering over his glasses Mr Ollivander proclaimed, "It looks as good as the day I put the core in. Ten and three quarter inch fir wand with a core of unicorn hair. It needs a bit of polish," he said, looking pointedly at Daniel. "But other than that everything seems to be in perfect working order. Here, give it a swish."

Daniel took the wand from his outstretched hand and gingerly moved his hand around.

"No, no, no boy, do it with some conviction. Move with the wrist, it's all in the wrist!" said Mr Ollivander.

Daniel closed his eyes and thought about the man who carried the very wand he was now holding, he thought about the afternoon in which his father had hoisted him onto his shoulders and they had all laughed together. He felt something surge from inside of him, a bit of happiness welled up in him at the thought. Without much thought he flicked his wrist and opened his eyes.

Daniel was very disappointed when only a bit of wispy smoke erupted from the tip. Harry and Mr Ollivander however stood there in shock, mouths gaping wide open.

"Was that a…" muttered the old wand maker quizzically.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" said Harry recovering quickly. "Even if it was, well, the wand works doesn't it?"

"It more than just bloody works, that was a…"

"Yes, well we don't need to delve into that. How much do we owe you, Mr Ollivander?"

"No charge, not for you and the boy, besides, I didn't do much now did I?"

"Thank you," said Daniel.

"Thank you very much, Mr Ollivander. I might be by again soon, Ginny is going to need some wand oil in a few weeks," Harry stated looking directly at Mr Ollivander. Daniel thought he saw Harry wink, but he couldn't be sure.

"Why yes of course, I will be getting a new batch in a few weeks," said Mr Ollivander in a strange voice.

"Good day then," said Harry turning to leave.

"Good bye," said Daniel, wondering what had just taken place between the two men.

The door chime tinkled as they left and Daniel was once again surprised by all the sights and sounds of this wonderful new world. Wizards and witches bustled along the street, their children ran in and out of stores, greeting each other cheerfully. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the day of shopping.

"Headmaster Potter, what a pleasant surprise!" cried a disagreeable voice in the crowd.

"Hello, Luden," said Harry in a dead voice.

"Might I have a word with you?" asked the tall, thin man who had emerged from the crowd. He had brown eyes and a tight smile on his lips. He was dressed in elegant dark brown robes and heavy boots. A young boy, a carbon copy of his father who looked about Daniel's age was standing next to him with a bored look on his face.

"Must it be right now? I still have a few things to shop for. As it is almost start of term I am in my office continuously every day for anyone who has matters to see me about."

"Well, it is rather important and has a lot to do with the Start of term. Some in the Ministry are preoccupied with the management of Hogwarts, new information has come to light and we may need to investigate further."

"If that is the decision of the Wizengamot, then so be it. Hogwarts has nothing to hide. But please, let us not discuss important matters in public on such a beautiful day."

Just then a tall, red head bobbed towards them through the crowd, calling out, "Harry! Harry!" The man and three children squeezed through the bustling crowd towards Daniel and Harry.

The tall man leaned stiffly towards Harry and whispered, "I wouldn't get too haughty Potter. _We will_ be watching you this year. You may suddenly find you have no one to hide behind." With that the man and his son stalked off into the crowd.

"Thanks Ron!" said Harry after the unpleasant man was out of earshot.

"Anytime Harry! What did Luden want with you anyway?"

"Oh just the same old thing as always; it's not a big deal," Harry explained.

"Well, the kids and I thought we would stop by Fred and George's shop. You want to come along? I am sure Daniel would love to see it."

"It just so happens we were heading in that very direction, Ron!" Harry exclaimed, quickly forgetting the unpleasant encounter at the sight of his old friend. "Oh, Daniel, this is my good friend, Mr Weasley and his children, Molly, Brian and Delia."

"Nice to finally meet you Daniel. We have heard a lot about you from Ginny and Harry," said Ron.

Ron and Harry turned and began walking towards a shop at the end of Diagon Alley. Molly skipped along next to her father, clinging tightly to his fingers while Brian and Delia walked behind them next to Daniel. They were very much alike and even their steps seemed aligned. They both wore jeans and had on tennis shoes; their red hair matched their father's in intensity.

"You're starting at Hogwarts this year aren't you?" said Brian.

"Yes. Are you?" asked Daniel.

"No, we don't start until next year. But our brother, Michael is a fourth year Ravenclaw. And that kid, Maxwell, he is starting this year too. But we don't like him."

"Oh, I see," said Daniel, disappointedly, he had taken an immediate liking to the twins. "Where are we headed?"

"Our uncles, Fred and George have a joke shop just down the street," said Brian.

"Everyone goes there to buy jokes; it's a lot of fun. You'll like it," said Delia.

"And our uncles always give us stuff for free," Brian added eagerly.

Daniel marvelled at how even the tone of their voices seemed to match. But he didn't have much time to think about it as they had arrived at a lively looking shop bursting with people. The sign outside was lit in bright colours and the words bounced on the sign. It read: Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. The letters squirmed and the word 'wheezes' shot small sparks as if it were sneezing.

Just as Ron was reaching for the door, a mother burst out of the store, saying "Jack Hubert Mansfield! I told you not to eat anything in that store! How many times do I have to tell you…" She pulled her son out of the store by the hand and everyone in the busy street could see he was covered in bright yellow feathers.

"Those were a new batch of extra strength canary creams but don't worry Mrs Mansfield, he will moult in a few hours and be fine!"

"George!" cried Ron, waving to his brother.

"Why if it isn't our little brother and his children!" exclaimed Fred.

"Harry Potter! Surely there is some conflict of interest in your being here!" said George.

"I am merely stopping by to say hello to some old friends," Harry said ruefully.

Daniel was bustled into the crowded store and couldn't help but be amazed again at all the wonderful sights. There were shelves, boxes, bins, things hanging from the ceiling, display cases, and everything bursting with pranks and jokes.

There were fake mice that ran; there were fake wands that turned into rubber chickens, and quills that exploded with ink when the unsuspecting user wrote a predetermined word. There were canary creams, fake exploding snap cards, and socks that made funny squeaking noises with each step.

The group spent a happy hour looking at all of the amazing pranks and jokes. Daniel noticed many other young people who looked about his age stocking up on things for the upcoming school term. By the looks of it, it was going to be an interesting year. Daniel tried to make a mental list of all the things he would have to be careful with while at school. Soon it became too long and Daniel gave up trying.

Eventually Ron and Harry rounded up the children. Harry and Daniel still had to pick up his new robes and Madam Malkin's was due to close soon. Ron mentioned ice cream from Fortean Fortescue's and so Harry agreed to meet him there in twenty minutes.

The robes were indeed done and Harry and Daniel soon found themselves back with Ron and the children. Molly was chattering and soon she had chocolate ice cream all over her face. Brian and Delia both had the same sundaes with strawberry ice cream and sprinkles. Ron ordered the Quidditch cone and Harry asked for two scoops of pumpkin juice flavoured ice cream. Daniel opted for plain vanilla with whipped cream.

"Why did you ask for plain vanilla?" asked Brian.

"What's wrong with plain vanilla? I happen to like it," Daniel said.

Brian shrugged, "It's just so… plain."

Delia made a face at him and turned to Daniel. "Do you play Quidditch?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Quidditch?" Daniel asked.

"You've never played Quidditch before?" Brian asked incredulously.

"I, er, don't know how to play Quidditch," Daniel said sheepishly.

Brian looked at him in disbelief, but Delia recovered quickly, "Don't worry, neither did Uncle Harry when he first started at Hogwarts. He lived with Muggles too."

"How do you play?" asked Daniel. Brian was more than happy to indulge Daniel in a very long winded explanation of all the terms, positions, theories, and teams available on the subject of Quidditch. Daniel didn't understand most of what was said, but at least he was saved from having to do most of the talking.

Eventually Harry and Ron finished their sundaes and said their goodbyes. Molly gave Harry a big hug and they promised to see each other again on Thursday. Daniel was tired but happy, he was sure nothing this exciting had ever happened to him before in his life. It was a scary feeling, but it felt good at the same time.

"Come on Daniel, it's later than I thought**. Y**our mother might be a little worried."


	8. A Game of Cat and Mouse

_Chapter Seven:_

_A Game of Cat and Mouse_

Daniel's mother _had_ been worried. In fact, she had spent most of the day wringing her hands and wearing down a path in the carpet by the front door. By the time Daniel and Harry had flooed back to the sad little cottage at half past seven, she had been driven spare. She had looked in a panic, and before Daniel could even brush off the soot from his clothes, she had enveloped him in a hug so tight he could hardly breathe. When she finally let go, he sucked in so much air that he sucked in soot as well and started a sneezing fit. His mother sent him upstairs to his room for a handkerchief while she told Harry under her breath that she needed to speak to him in the kitchen, _immediately_.

Daniel knew what that meant and scurried up the steps even though he didn't feel the need to blow his nose. _Poor Harry, _he thought, _he's really going to get it from Mum, and he didn't do anything. _

Daniel emptied his pockets of all his items and put them in a corner, he would pack later. He was more worried about how he was supposed to use his shrunken books and other items. As he stood there contemplating he heard his mother raise her voice at Harry downstairs in the kitchen. Bits and pieces of their conversation floated up to his room and he decided to sit on the steps and listen in.

"…I am not so sure I want him to go anymore…" his mother was saying. _Not go? Why not? Why had she changed her mind so suddenly?_ Daniel was suddenly afraid that the whole world he had just learned was out there would suddenly be taken away from him.

"…it could be dangerous…" Daniel could hear his mother speaking, but Harry was much calmer and had not raised his voice at her.

"I know it's only a school, but it was only a school when you and I were there… and look at what happened to you!"

"Voldemort was out to kill me! No one is after Daniel," said Harry finally raising his voice enough for Daniel to make out the other side of the conversation.

"…I am afraid I could lose him like I lost his father!" said Abby, breaking down into tears. He could hear her sobbing, it became muffled and Daniel wondered why his mother thought he would be in danger. It was just a boarding school. What could possibly happen at a boarding school?

It had taken Harry some convincing to get Abby back on track. She was scared; she had every right to be. But her fear was poisoning Daniel's life. Harry fought to keep his composure and they went through the entire process of how Daniel would arrive at Hogwarts. After some time Abby had calmed down and managed a weak smile when Harry joked with her.

As was becoming a habit, Harry returned home completely knackered. He walked into the living room and saw Ginny had fallen asleep on the couch. Sighing, he tiptoed over to the couch and gently picked her up so he could lay down. She didn't wake, but sighed and snuggled into his chest. Harry breathed in the scent of her hair and laid his hand on her belly to feel the baby's fluttering until he too fell into a deep sleep.

Not nearly far enough away for comfort, there stood a handsome man who would have looked like a very nice neighbour to have if it weren't for the cruelty embedded in his cold blue eyes. The room was small and chilly; the only furniture in the room was a small table and a chair that had been overturned quite some time ago. The floors and the windows were covered in a thick layer of grime and dust, and the wind howled up from the sea through the cracks of the shack and on its solitary way.

The man began to pace impatiently this way and that in the small shack, wearing a path through the carpet of dust covering the floor. He pulled out a pocket watch and then quickly pocketed it again. He was beginning to tire of this little waiting game. He looked around for something to do, something to occupy his time.

He heard a squeak and some skittering noises coming from the corner of the room and peered through the dim light in that direction. His lips curled into a cruel smile at the sight of the small family of mice that were making their way to a small hole by the old fireplace. He quietly pulled out his wand and conjured a cage in which to put them in. He then spent the next fifteen minutes placing the Cruciatus curse on each mouse in turn. Then he released them one by one, let them run around bewildered before he perfected his aim with the Avada Kedavra curse.

His attention was diverted at the sound of a loud crack outside the door. He stepped into the shadows and waited for the man he knew was about to enter the shack. The door creaked on its hinges and the pale moonlight illuminated the silhouette of an old, hunched man in the doorway.

The last mouse, still crazed with pain, ran between the old man's feet. The green light that shot out from the darkest corner of the shack hit the mouse squarely on the back and it dropped dead instantly at the man's feet. He let out a shrill shriek and fell backwards, out onto the weeds by the door. He lay there, frozen in terror, shrieking and snivelling.

"Now, now Peter, I was only playing a childhood game," said the cruel voice out of the shadows.

"Master?" whimpered the withering Peter Pettigrew.

"Yes, that's right, all those years in Azkaban and you still remember me. I seem to have made quite the impression on you."

"Why did you take me out of Azkaban? Why have you brought me here? I do not wish to play your silly games; I am a withering old man, I wish to die in peace."

"You will die soon if you use that tone with me again, but I can make no promises as to the peaceful part!" said the younger man as he rushed out of the shadows and towered over the cowering old man. "The years have not been easy on you have they Pettigrew?"

"No, sir," whimpered Pettigrew. "Harry Potter took my Master and with him my hand. I have been rotting ever since!"

"Never mention that name in my presence again!" screamed the young man, digging his wand into the flesh on Pettigrew's neck. "I should have left you to rot in Azkaban, you'e right! You are nothing but a snivelling old man, my father should have killed you the instant you served your purpose."

He moved his wand away from Peter's neck and stood up to move away from him. "Luckily for me, you can serve a new purpose."

"What is that, Master?"

"Now we can finish what my father could not. We will kill the man who took my father, who took your hand, who took our glory! His deeds will not go unpunished!" panted the young man, the hatred clear in his cold blue eyes.

Harry sat up suddenly. Sweat was pouring into his eyes, he was breathing heavily and trembling. _Not now, not after so long,_ he thought.

"Harry what's wrong?" asked Ginny worriedly.

Harry looked at her for a moment; she had seen that look many times in the past, she knew what it meant. But those nightmares had ended years ago. "Nothing, it was just a bad dream," he mumbled.

"What was it about?"

"I could only see shadows and flashes of green. It was nothing that made any sense at all, Ginny. It was silly really, I am sorry I woke you up."

Ginny knew him better and was anything but convinced. Sighing, she placed her hand on his cheek and said, "How about we go sleep in our bed, we are getting too old to sleep on a couch, and the baby is about to push me onto the floor."

Harry nodded and helped her stand up. Slowly they made their way up the stair to their bed. Harry helped her into the bed, and let her lay her head on his chest. Soon she was breathing deeply and evenly, lost in her own realm of dreams, but Harry could not even close his eyes. He spent the rest of the night staring into the darkness and holding his everything- his world, his family- as tightly as he could until the first rays of dawn crept in through the window and he dozed off with the comfort of the light.


End file.
